Realization of administration unit for3He with gas recycling

2011

Hyperpolarized (HP) noble gases (3He,129Xe) are used for MR-imaging of the lung. In the majority of case the HP gas is filled in Tedlarbags and directly inhaled by the patients. Starting from an earlier pilot device, an administration unit was built respectively to the Medical Devices Law to administer patients HP noble gas boli in defined quantities and at a predefined time during inspiration with high reproducibility and reliability without reducing MR-quality. The patient's airflows are monitored and recorded. It is possible to use gas admixtures, measure the polarization on-line and collect the exhaled gas for later recycling. The first images with healthy volunteers were taken with thi…

Testing Time Dilation on Fast Ion Beams

2011

We report the status of an experimental test of time dilation in Special Relativity. This is accomplished by simultaneously measuring the forward and backward Doppler shifts of an electronic transition of fast moving ions, using high-precision laser spectroscopy. From these two Doppler shifts both the ion velocity ? = v/c and the time dilation factor can be derived. From measurements based on saturation spectroscopy on lithium ions stored at ? = 0.03 and ? = 0.06 in the TSR heavy-ion storage ring, we achieved an upper limit for a [?2] deviation from Special Relativity of . In recent measurements on a ? = 0.34 Li+ beam in the ESR storage ring we used optical-optical double-resonance spectros…

A polarized 3He target for the photon beam at MAMI

2011

Abstract A polarized 3 He target has been installed for the first time inside the 4 π Crystal Ball detector at the tagged photon beam of the MAinz MIcrotron (MAMI). It has been demonstrated that the system works reliably and that the polarization losses during handling of the polarized gas are under control. Initial polarization values up to 70% and total relaxation times up to 20 h could be obtained during a first test beam time devoted to the measurement of the double polarized photoabsorption cross-section in the Δ ( 1232 ) baryon resonance region.

Design and evaluation of a 32-channel phased-array coil for lung imaging with hyperpolarized 3-helium

2010

Imaging with hyperpolarized 3-helium is becoming an increasingly important technique for MRI diagnostics of the lung but is hampered by long breath holds (>20 sec), which are not always applicable in patients with severe lung disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or α-1-anti-trypsin deficiency. Additionally, oxygen-induced depolarization decay during the long breath holds complicates interpretation of functional data such as apparent diffusion coefficients. To address these issues, we describe and validate a 1.5-T, 32-channel array coil for accelerated 3He lung imaging and demonstrate its ability to speed up imaging 3He. A signal-to-noise ratio increase of up to a factor…

Recycling of 3He from lung magnetic resonance imaging

2011

We have developed the means to recycle 3He exhaled by patients after imaging the lungs using magnetic resonance of hyperpolarized 3He. The exhaled gas is collected in a helium leak proof bag and further compressed into a steel bottle. The collected gas contains about 1–2% of 3He, depending on the amount administered and the number of breaths collected to wash out the 3He gas from the lungs. 3He is separated from the exhaled air using zeolite molecular sieve adsorbent at 77 K followed by a cold head at 8 K. Residual gaseous impurities are finally absorbed by a commercial nonevaporative getter. The recycled 3He gas features high purity, which is required for repolarization by metastability ex…

Limit on Lorentz andCPTviolation of the bound neutron using a free precessionHe3/Xe129comagnetometer

2010

We report on the search for Lorentz-violating sidereal variations of the frequency difference of colocated spin species while the Earth and hence the laboratory reference frame rotates with respect to a relic background field. The comagnetometer used is based on the detection of freely precessing nuclear spins from polarized 3 He and 129 Xe gas samples using SQUIDs as low-noise magnetic flux detectors. As result we can determine the limit for the equatorial component of the background field interacting with the spin of the bound neutron to be b n ⊥ < 3.7 · 10- 32 GeV (95% C.L.).

Application unit for the administration of contrast gases for pulmonary magnetic resonance imaging: optimization of ventilation distribution for3He-M…

2014

Purpose MRI of lung airspaces using gases with MR-active nuclei (3He, 129Xe, and 19F) is an important area of research in pulmonary imaging. The volume-controlled administration of gas mixtures is important for obtaining quantitative information from MR images. State-of-the-art gas administration using plastic bags (PBs) does not allow for a precise determination of both the volume and timing of a 3He bolus. Methods A novel application unit (AU) was built according to the requirements of the German medical devices law. Integrated spirometers enable the monitoring of the inhaled gas flow. The device is particularly suited for hyperpolarized (HP) gases (e.g., storage and administration with m…

POLARIZED 3HE TARGETS FOR REAL AND VIRTUAL PHOTONS

2011

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2014

Polarized3He targets in medium energy physics at MAMI

2011

Experiments with polarized 3He targets at the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) involve double polarized photoabsorption or the extraction of the electric form factor of the neutron Ge,n via electron scattering, respectively. Polarized 3He with an initial polarization of up to 70% at the experimental areas is provided by a polarizer based on the principle of metastability exchange optical pumping (MEOP). In this article both target setups for the photon- and the electron beamlines will be described and a status of the data analysis will be given.

Constraints on Spin-Dependent Short-Range Interaction between Nucleons

2013

We report on the search for a new spin-dependent P- and T-violating interaction between nucleons mediated by light, pseudoscalar bosons such as the axion which was invented to solve the strong CP problem. Our experimental approach is to use an ultra-sensitive low-field magnetometer based on the detection of free precession of co-located 3He and 129Xe nuclear spins using SQUIDs as low-noise magnetic flux detectors. In the presence of an unpolarized mass the precession frequency shif

New Limit on Lorentz-Invariance- andCPT-Violating Neutron Spin Interactions Using a Free-Spin-PrecessionHe3-Xe129Comagnetometer

2014

We report on the search for a $CPT$- and Lorentz-invariance-violating coupling of the $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and $^{129}\mathrm{Xe}$ nuclear spins (each largely determined by a valence neutron) to posited background tensor fields that permeate the Universe. Our experimental approach is to measure the free precession of nuclear spin polarized $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and $^{129}\mathrm{Xe}$ atoms in a homogeneous magnetic guiding field of about 400 nT using ${\mathrm{LT}}_{C}$ SQUIDs as low-noise magnetic flux detectors. As the laboratory reference frame rotates with respect to distant stars, we look for a sidereal modulation of the Larmor frequencies of the colocated spin samples. As a result we obtain…

Comparison of ultracold neutron sources for fundamental physics measurements

2016

Ultracold neutrons (UCNs) are key for precision studies of fundamental parameters of the neutron and in searches for new CP violating processes or exotic interactions beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The most prominent example is the search for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron (nEDM). We have performed an experimental comparison of the leading UCN sources currently operating. We have used a 'standard' UCN storage bottle with a volume of 32 liters, comparable in size to nEDM experiments, which allows us to compare the UCN density available at a given beam port.

A highly polarized target for the electron beam at MAMI

2009

Abstract Polarized He 3 from metastability exchange optical pumping (MEOP) is used as an effective polarized neutron target for electron scattering experiments at the MAinz MIcrotron (MAMI). With the present setup an initial polarization of up to 72% has been obtained at the experimental area. A novel calibration technique will be presented which allows the determination of the absolute polarization within a relative uncertainty of 3%.

HP-Xe to go: Storage and Transportation of Hyperpolarized 129-Xe

2016

Abstract Recently the spin–lattice relaxation time T 1 of hyperpolarized (HP)- 129 Xe was significantly improved by using uncoated and Rb-free storage vessels of GE180 glass. For these cells, a simple procedure was established to obtain reproducible wall relaxation times of about 18 h. Then the limiting relaxation mechanism in pure Xe is due to the coupling between the nuclear spins and the angular momentum of the Xe–Xe van-der-Waals-molecules. This mechanism can be significantly reduced by using different buffer gases of which CO 2 was discovered to be the most efficient so far. From these values, it was estimated that for a 1:1 mixture of HP-Xe with CO 2 a longitudinal relaxation time of …

Measurement of the Permanent Electric Dipole Moment of the $^{129}$Xe Atom

2019

We report on a measurement of the $CP$-violating permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of the neutral $^{129}\mathrm{Xe}$ atom. Our experimental approach is based on the detection of the free precession of co-located nuclear spin-polarized $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and $^{129}\mathrm{Xe}$ samples. The EDM measurement sensitivity benefits strongly from long spin coherence times of several hours achieved in diluted gases and homogeneous weak magnetic fields of about 400 nT. A finite EDM is indicated by a change in the precession frequency, as an electric field is periodically reversed with respect to the magnetic guiding field. Our result $(\ensuremath{-}4.7\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}6.4)\ifmmode\t…

Limit on Lorentz-Invariance- and CPT-Violating Neutron Spin Interactions Using a $^3$He-$^{129}$Xe Comagnetometer

2016

We performed a search for a Lorentz-invariance- and CPT-violating coupling of the $^3$He and $^{129}$Xe nuclear spins to posited background fields. Our experimental approach is to measure the free precession of nuclear spin polarized $^3$He and $^{129}$Xe atoms using SQUID detectors. As the laboratory reference frame rotates with respect to distant stars, we look for a sidereal modulation of the Larmor frequencies of the co-located spin samples. As a result we obtain an upper limit on the equatorial component of the background field $\tilde{b}^n_{\bot}&lt; 8.4 \cdot 10^{-34}$ GeV (68\% C.L.). Furthermore, this technique was modified to search for an electric dipole moment (EDM) of $^{129}$X…

Probing Lorentz invariance and other fundamental symmetries in3He/129Xe clock-comparison experiments

2011

We discuss the design and performance of a very sensitive low-field magnetometer based on the detection of free spin precession of gaseous, nuclear polarized 3He or 129Xe samples with a SQUID as magnetic flux detector. Characteristic spin precession times T*2 of up to 60 h were measured in low magnetic fields (about 1μT) and in the regime of motional narrowing. With the detection of the free precession of co-located 3He/129Xe nuclear spins (clock comparison), the device can be used as ultra-sensitive probe for non-magnetic spin interactions, since the magnetic dipole interaction (Zeeman-term) drops out in the weighted frequency difference, i.e., Δω = ωHe− γHe/γXe·ωXe. We report on searches …

Modern Ives-Stilwell Experiments At Storage Rings: Large Boosts Meet High Precision

2013

We give a brief overview of time dilation tests using high-resolution laser spectroscopy at heavy-ion storage rings. We reflect on the various methods used to eliminate the first-order Doppler effect and on the pitfalls encountered, and comment on possible extensions at future facilities providing relativistic heavy ion beams at $\gamma \gg 1$.